Tasmania calling to wine guns

 
Are you a sommelier, wine buyer, restaurateur or retail sales gun? 

Wine Tasmania wants you. 

The umbrella body for wine on the island state is once again inviting wine buyers from across the country to experience the island's very fashionable wines this October.

 

Ten key people will be selected to participate in an immersive two-day visit exploring the south of the island, tasting wines and interacting with wine producers from around the state.

 

With the increasing popularity of Tasmanian wine seeing demand often exceeding production, the program presents an opportunity for wine buyers to experience and learn about many of Tasmania’s wines, which can  often be difficult to access.

 

Wine Tasmania CEO Sheralee Davies said that visiting the island was the best way to experience the Tasmanian lifestyle and its outstanding produce.

 

“Tasmanian wines have been attracting the attention of a growing global audience in recent years," she says. 

"Visiting the island is the best way to understand the depth and diversity of our outstanding wines and the talented people who grow and craft them.

 

“Many of the island’s wine producers only sell their wines in Tasmania, while others send their wine off-island in small and hard-to-find quantities. 

@We live in one of the best places on earth and this annual visit allows us to share a little of the lifestyle we’re privileged to call our own.”

 

The visitation program is open to anyone currently employed in senior roles within the wine trade including sommeliers, restaurateurs and retail representatives. 

Applicants must be responsible for wine purchasing decisions within their business and be available to travel to Tasmania on October 16-17. 

The link to apply can be found at winetasmania.com.au/trade-visit and submissions close on August 18. 

The visitation program is presented with support from the Tasmanian Government.

Oops. We've already spent the money!

The Japanese Government's plan to boost domestic tourism post-Covid has hit a major snag. 

The rollout of a new travel subsidy program is floundering, with some travel-related firms having already spent their allocated funds, Kyodo news agency reported.

The Japan Tourism Agency is asking participating businesses across the country to review their budgets while also considering increasing funding for the scheme, known as the "National Travel Discount".

Launched this week, on the same day Covid-19 border controls were eased for international arrivals, the program provides the equivalent of up to 11,000 yen (just under $120) in discounts and coupons per traveller per day. 

The money can be used for meals, shopping and accommodation expenses.

The scheme is being implemented through use of state funds. 

Budgets have been allocated to all 47 of Japan's prefectures, with the amount each receives based on criteria such as local accommodation figures. 

The prefectural governments then redistribute the funds between local businesses such as travel agencies and hotels to sell their products and services within the scope of the scheme.

Authorities of north-eastern Yamagata Prefecture had planned to use the funds they were granted over three months from October through December, but have since decided to divert some of their November budget to this month after local businesses spent all of the government's initial allocated subsidy.

"In some cases, too much funding has been given to local businesses, while estimates for others have fallen short," one government source said, requesting that prefectures redistribute their quota based on past tourism data.

Meanwhile, high consumer interest in the scheme has overwhelmed some participating travel agencies.

Seanuts Co, which manages accommodation bookings for around 5,100 hotels and other facilities, said that high traffic caused by a large number of hits to its website led to a system malfunction, leaving customers unable to book, while also possibly cancelling existing reservations.

Oops!

The new program was initially planned to be introduced in July but was postponed due to Japan's 's seventh wave of coronavirus infections.